


I Hear They Call This Family

by JulesShallRule



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst?, Brotherly Love, Fluff, Gen, Genji Shimada is a Little Shit, Learning how to be bros again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 22:46:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11678664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JulesShallRule/pseuds/JulesShallRule
Summary: “Genji this behavior is atrocious.”“Your face,” Genji hiccups and points at Hanzo, hand drunkenly bopping his brother on the nose, “is atrocious.”Hanzo only sighs, resolving to have this conversation in the morning, when his brother was more sober. “Alright brother, you’ve had enough. Let us go home.”Genji giggles, “I’m 22 now Aniki! I don’t have a curfew.”“Genji,” Hanzo’s tone brooks no argument, “let us go home now.”“Or what? You’ll kill me?”Hanzo slaps a hand on his face, rubs his eyes, then begins to pick his brother up, bridal style.Or a series of times Genji behaves like an annoying little brother, and Hanzo relearns how to smile.





	I Hear They Call This Family

**Author's Note:**

> HEy! I'm new to writing fanfics and I don't have an editor, so if there are any mistakes don't hesitate to tell me! I also changed Genji and Hanzo's ages a little bit so they are five years apart. Constructive Criticism is welcome, :)

The sun is low in the sky and cicadas buzz among the trees. Two brothers sit under the shade of a cherry blossom tree, legs crossed, eyes closed. The elder is meditating, managing to be completely still despite the fidgeting body next to him.

“Anija this is so boring!” A six year old Genji whines, cheeks swelling, face screwed up into a pout. 

Hanzo doesn't open his eyes and speaks in a soft, scolding tone, “This teaches you discipline Genji, father puts his trust in us to be able to clear our minds and think without distraction.”

Genji sighs loudly, “Yeah but isn't there a more fun way?”

Hanzo doesn't answer so Genji silently stands up, wicked grin lighting up his face as he comes up with an idea. 

“Hey, hey Anija!”

Hanzo opens an eye, sighing in exasperation, “What is it Gen-ARG!” Hanzo is blasted by a stream of cold water, soaking his shirt. 

“GENJIII!” Hanzo bellows as Genji giggles. Genji holds the gardening hose in one hand and grips his stomach with the other as he doubles over laughing. 

“You should seen your-” Genji cuts himself off in a fit of giggles. 

Hanzo can't truly be angry, asking a six year old to meditate is like trying to bathe a cat. But do not let it be said he spoils his little brother. 

Genji's laughter dies out as he sees Hanzo slowly standing up. 

“Genjjiii.” Hanzo sing-songs, drawing out the ‘ie’ sound. 

“Hmph. What're you gunna do? Kill me?” Genji sticks his tongue out, aiming the hose once more. But Hanzo is faster, seizing Genji and poking him. 

“Even worse, I am going to tickle you.”

“Noo! Anija please!” Genji shrieks in between loud bouts of laughter. “You evil brother!”

-

Genji is eight and still as mischievous as ever. He sneaks past his brother's bedroom to the kitchen, taking a snack from the cabinet clearly labeled, “Hanzo’s Do Not Touch”.

Carefully, he treads back to his own room, ripping open the package and biting into the sweet in contentment. Genji finishes up the daifuku, licking the last remnants on his fingertips, and throws the wrapper into the bin by his desk. 

Hanzo will find the replacement food in the cabinet tomorrow. Genji isn't cruel enough to steal, he only‘traded’. One package ichigo daifuku for a soda Genji bought from the vending machine at the arcade, fair enough right? 

The next morning Hanzo did not seem to agree, nearly roaring in anger.  
“Genji!!! What did you do with my snack?”

“How come you always assume it was me?”

Hanzo crosses his arms, unconvinced. “Was it you?”

“...”

“Yeah that's what I thought. I don't want your gross grape soda, where's my daifuku?”

“I ate it.”

“Genji.” Hanzo sighs in exasperation. At that exact moment, the head Shimada walks into the kitchen. 

“Is something the matter my sons?” Sojiro questions, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at the two boys. 

“Genji ate my snack.”

“I traded with Hanzo.”

“There is no need to be dramatic over a snack, Hanzo.”

“It was ichigo daifuku from Tamako, father.”

“Oh that is harsh Genji.”

“Father you're supposed to be on my side.” Genji pouts. 

Sojiro turns to his older son, “You have permission to get back at Genji.”  
Hanzo grins and sets down the soda. 

“Hmph, what're you gonna do Anija, kill me?”

“Worse, I'm going to eat your entire ‘secret’ Pocky stash.”

“Noo!” Genji shrieks in anguish. Sojiro only smiles to himself, shakes his head, and starts on his morning tea.

-

Genji is sixteen and skipping practices left and right, ditching meditation in favor of playing at the arcade or talking with teens his age around the town. Hanzo has been quietly leaving him to his own devices, but father’s coddling of his younger brother will only be detrimental in the long term. 

He seeks out his brother in the gardens, watching silently as Genji feeds the sparrows. The small birds flit about the cherry blossoms and nip at the birdseed on Genji's open palm. The teen smiles, but only slightly. 

“Remember when mother would feed them leftover panko from when she made tempura?”

Genji starts, but does not turn around to face his brother. “What do you want Hanzo?” 

“I only wish to talk, brother.”

“Okay, we talked, good times, bye.” Genji takes a step away, only to be stopped as Hanzo gently grabs his arm. 

“Genji wait, why have you been missing practice and meditation?”  
Wrong thing to say, Genji visibly bristles and whirls around. 

“That's all you came to talk to me about? No ‘yo bro you okay?’ I should have known you wouldn't care.” Genji takes a breath before venomously saying, “You don't care at all about anything but the clan, that's why you didn't cry at mother’s funeral.”

At Hanzo’s sharp intake of breath, the only indication he took anything in, Genji feels a little bad, but he powers through, pushing past his Brother once more. 

“I didn't cry.”

Genji continues walking. 

“I didn't cry because I had to be strong for father, because I had to be strong you.”

At Hanzo's shaky voice, Genji stops. Genji stops and turns around once more. Hanzo is on the ground, eyes glassy. 

“I care Genji.” Hanzo's voice is as soft as mother’s when she would sing, as soft as father’s when he feeds the koi. “I care, so come here.” Hanzo pats the ground next to him, and throws in a, “Come here or else.”

“Or else what brother, you'll kill me?” But despite the sarcasm, Genji is already sitting down. 

“Or else I’ll do this.” Hanzo gives Genji a playful noogie, and Genji swats him away, smiling now.

“I’m not a baby anymore Hanzo.”

“Ha! You will always be my baby brother Genji, nothing will change that.”

“Hmph.”

The brothers sit in companionable silence, taking in the evening sky and the crickets beginning to sing.

“You do miss mother right?”

“Of course Genji.”

“I hope nothing happens to father. Her death was too sudden, I need time to prepare for stuff like this.” Genji’s tone is faux light as he says the last part. Hanzo only hums in agreement.

“Do not worry Genji, we will be prepared for any future tragedy.”

“I hope you’re right.”

-

“Genji this behavior is atrocious.”

“Your face,” Genji hiccups and points at Hanzo, hand drunkenly bopping his brother on the nose, “is atrocious.”

Hanzo only sighs, resolving to have this conversation in the morning, when his brother was more sober. “Alright brother, you’ve had enough. Let us go home.”

Genji giggles, “I’m 22 now Aniki! I don’t have a curfew.”

“Genji,” Hanzo’s tone brooks no argument, “let us go home now.”

“Or what? You’ll kill me?”

Hanzo slaps a hand on his face, rubs his eyes, then begins to pick his brother up, bridal style.

“Noo Anija stoooop.”

“Those who act like babies will be treated as such.”

“Aww.” Genji pouts, and Hanzo is reminded of a time 18 years ago. Meditation under a sakura tree and a troublesome six year old brother whose mischief was hard to stop. Hanzo sighs again, (most of his life seems to be made up of sighing and waving his arms around in irritation.) and speed walks back to the estate, not putting Genji down until they reach the house. Genji is sound asleep as Hanzo takes of the younger man’s shoes and places him in bed. 

When Genji wakes up the next morning, with pounding in his head, he spots aspirin on the nightstand, and beside it, a glass of water and a note. If the said note makes him tear up a little, that’s something no one will know.

Little brother,  
Take care of yourself please. I have a meeting to attend in the morning, I estimate you will wake at 11:30, so join me for brunch at 11:45. Mother and Father would not wish you to fall ill from malnutrition.  
I care,  
H.

“Aww, Anija does have a heart.” Genji glances at the clock, 11:32, “He also knows me too well.”

-

Blood.  
On his hands, on the floor, on his clothes. 

There was an argument and a sparring match and swords and blood and duty and honor and pain and Genji is tired and afraid. There stands his brother, seething, stance aggressive, eyes narrowed. Here stands Genji, no match for his older brother, wanting his mother, wanting his father. But mother is dead, father is dead, the Hanzo he knew is dead, and by the end of the night, Genji might be dead too.

There is red on Hanzo’s hands, red clouding Hanzo’s vision, and Genji thinks he dropped his own sword a while ago. That he gave up awhile ago. Hanzo is a puppet to the elders, and Genji is too cowardly to save him. (You will always be my baby brother.)

Genji grins, masking his fear, his anger, his everything, and says, “What’re you gonna do Anjia? Kill me?”

In answer, Hanzo raises his sword higher. In answer, Hanzo calls the dragons.

He will make a powerful leader, thinks Genji, watching the sword arc down, blue dragons red with blood. He made an even better brother, once.

And then.

And then Genji Shimada is no more.

And then Hanzo Shimada is an Ex-heir, a brother killer, a man self exiled.

-

Genji Shimada is, contrary to Hanzo’s belief, alive.

Genji is 33 and Hanzo is 38 and they meet again. There is a fight as Hanzo tries to kill his brother yet again. There is a fight, but this time Genji wins, and this time the loser is spared. There is a fight and Genji forgives, but Hanzo cannot. Not yet.

And then later Hanzo works on it. On redemption, and forgiveness, and having a brother again. Hanzo cuts his hair, buys new clothes, and figures out how a smile fits on his face. 

They eat cake together on New Year's, Genji flying all the way to Paris from Nepal. Hanzo tells Genji to not steal the strawberries off his plate, to which Genji responds, “or what, you'll kill me?” 

Hanzo tenses and Genji understands, not pushing when he gets no other response. They eat more cake and Hanzo tells him of his travels. Genji, in turn, explains what he's been doing since the incident, how he was saved by a certain doctor and saved again by an omnic monk. There are small silences at times, and words said maybe too tersely as old habits arise. And it's slow, and tedious, and heartbreaking, but they're learning how to be brothers again, how to live again. 

At 12:00 Hanzo shares a little sake, and mutters quiet apologies and guilts, little things and big things. Genji listens and forgives. 

Then they fall asleep on a balcony of Hanzo’s hotel sometime later, two brothers figuring themselves out. 

-

Hanzo tentatively agrees to join Overwatch, Genji convincing him it would help on his road to redemption. The team welcomes him, glad to have any extra hands, and slowly incorporate him into the organization. Any hesitation is well hidden, as the team only greets him with smiles and relaxed greetings. 

Hanzo begins to loosen up, to forgive himself, to allow himself happiness and indulge in things. 

It's a year or so later when the brothers are assigned together on a mission. 

“Genji, you take the ground perimeter while I-Genji…give me back my bow.” The cyborg ninja laughs and backflips off of Hanzo’s perch. 

“Or what?” Genji says unthinkingly, “you'll kill me?”

Instantly after, a small, collective gasp is heard over the comms, and Genji tries to backtrack. 

“Wait, Hanzo I-” 

“Yes I'll kill you.” Hanzo interrupts jokingly, “and this time I'll do a better job of it.”  
Genji climbs back up and claps his brother on the back. Genji is proud, but the moment between the brothers is broken by the gruff voice in their earpieces.

“Hate to break the banter, but Agents Hanzo and Genji would you please continue the mission.”

Genji rolls his eyes. 

“Aww sorry luvs, but the old man is getting impatient.” A cheery voice, Lena’s, adds. 

“Shame, I rather like it when ya joke, bowman.” McCree’s southern drawl comes after. 

Hanzo sighs and continues his plan, grabbing storm bow back from Genji in the process. 

“Genji, you take the ground perimeter while I cover from the top.”

Genji gives a mock salute and jumps away. 

The mission goes smoothly, the two Shimada brothers working in tandem once more. It is somewhat surprising to Hanzo, how good it feels to have people he trusts covering his back, how good it feels to have a brother again, ready to catch him should he fall. 

Genji seems to notice, tapping him lightly on the shoulder during the mission report.  
“Something on your mind brother?” He asks softly in Japanese. “You are smiling to yourself.”

“I am only thinking.” Hanzo replies, “I am extremely thankful.” For what, Hanzo doesn't specify but Genji nods. 

“Something you care to share Shimada?” Morrison calls out. 

“Which one?” Genji says jokingly, tilting his head in amusement.

“The grumpy one.”

“I apologize for Genji, Morrison-san, it is hardly his fault how ill-tempered he is in the morning.”

“Hey, he meant you!”

“Did he? I could not tell, my apologies.” Hanzo says sarcastically. 

Soldier shakes his head. “Alright, dismissed, it's clear we're done here. Good job on the mission guys, we've been doing well.” Genji whoops and Lena cheers, while Hanzo and Jesse only chuckle in the background. 

It's dinner at the Watchpoint when Genji takes his plate and sits down next to Hanzo. He pouts, somehow pulling it off despite being thirty-four and not six now. 

“You better stop teasing me brother, it's hurting my fragile cyborg feelings.”

There is a beat of silence where Hanzo smiles. He soaks it in, his brother, his ‘family’, his home. 

“Stop teasing you? Or what Genji, you'll kill me?”


End file.
